Latest incident in Maryland hits “too close to home”

Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 at 8:37 am

General Manager/Editor Ron Schott

The phrase “hits close to home” is often used when a person is affected either intimately or personally.
This is the way I felt Monday morning after a 17-year-old down syndrome student was shot on the first day of school at Perry Hall High School in Maryland.
After reading Associated Press updates and Baltimore, Md. media reports on the incident, I began reading a Facebook post of a dear family friend who was trying to determine if the person who was shot was someone her daughter knew well.
As she was asking questions to learn of the victim’s identity, she found some answers and on Facebook she revealed the boy was indeed a friend of her daughter’s she went with to the same middle school and summer school.
Perry Hall Middle School is a school that sends its students to either Perry Hall High School or Parkville High School. Parkville is where both of my cousins earned their high school diplomas.
In most of the stories I read, several quotes came from Baltimore County police spokeswoman Elise Armacost. She went to my high school and is the sister of one of my fellow classmates.
My mom’s cousin’s wife taught at Perry Hall for 10 years. I also know of a couple in the Vandalia area that are graduates of Perry Hall.
After analyzing just what took place, I felt like this incident “hits close to home.”
My prayers go out for this young boy named “Daniel” and his family who are battling through this tragedy. At last report, he was in critical condition at shock trauma. It’s crazy how something that happens a thousand miles away can at the same time be “too close for comfort.”
Football Challenge
This is now week 2 of our football challenge. If you consider yourself an expert in predicting the scores of football games (or just have fun attempting to), get yourself settled in and play the UpickEm football contest located at the home page The Vandalia Leader’s website, www.vandalialeader.com.
At the end of the contest, the winner will receive a grand prize of a La-Z-Boy recliner from Troy Furniture in Troy and a 32-inch flat screen TV from St. Louis Sports Collectors. There will also be prizes for second place, a La-Z-Boy chair from Strassner Furniture & Upholstery Inc. in Hermann, the third-place winner will receive a Automotive Emergency Package from Community State Bank in Bowling Green and the fourth-place winner will receive $200 worth of pizza from Pizza Hut in Vandalia.
The contest will test your ability to successfully predict the outcomes of selected professional, college and yes, even your high school teams from the readership area of the participating newspapers. Participating newspapers will include The Lincoln County Journal, The Elsberry Democrat, The Bowling Green Times, Louisiana Press-Journal, The Vandalia Leader, and Hermann Advertiser-Courier.
The contest began Friday, Aug. 24 and will end on December 30.
The winner will be announced that week and will have their grand prize in time for the playoffs and Super bowl.
To play, go to the website and click the link or visit the facebook page at facebook.com/vandalialeader. Then follow the directions and let the games begin.Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.